Yo, Miss! (No. 18)

How To Really Show Your Appreciation For Teachers

I write this one day before “Teacher Appreciation Week” officially kicks off here in the United States of America. I have been reflecting a lot about the correlation between how American society views teachers in general and the escalated attacks on our profession over the past few years in particular.

Before I get into it: By all means, thank a teacher this week. Tell them you appreciate them.

However, let’s talk about how you can show your appreciation for teachers beyond a few kind words or a post in your Instagram story or maybe a Starbucks gift card.

---

But, let’s start with some context before I get into it:

Whenever I tell people I am a teacher it is either met with derision (“Are you one of those woke ones indoctrinating our kids and grooming them to be Drag Queen CRT-lovers?) or with a comment likening me to the most angelic, fictitious Disney Princess (“Wow. You are so amazing and sweet and wholesome. I could NEVER do what you do but thank you for doing it.”) Now, do not get me wrong: I appreciate the latter a lot. It is kind of everyone to say they appreciate what I do. (I always wanted to be a Disney Princess, too.) Especially in this toxic climate where teachers are getting attacked for just…existing. However, let’s stop treating teachers like one-dimensional characters and instead appreciate them as three-dimensional professionals.

That’s right, professionals.

Most teachers have graduate degrees. They studied to be teachers. They are experts in the subject in which they teach, especially middle school and secondary school educators.

I learned the hard way how some friends viewed my profession during the pandemic. I was told by one “friend” that we were “babysitters” and should essentially suck it up and go back to school even before there was a vaccine and the pandemic was still killing a lot of people. That was during the time when teachers were asking to keep schools closed to keep communities as well as their respective families safe. I was using my platform to amplify and support them. They were accused of being selfish and this is all tied to the misconception that teachers are not professionals. Therefore, because we chose this job, we are expected to put everyone else’s safety above our own. But, honestly, all humans should not be treated this way and that is the result of living during late-stage capitalism. However, I am just focusing on teachers today.

Now as the global pandemic has calmed down, there are bills being passed to arm teachers to protect students from school shooters. Just as we were treated at the height of the other global public health crisis, this is ignoring the fact that teachers did not go into this profession to babysit kids and/or act as armed security guards. We went into this profession to educate young people.

So, as we head into “Teacher Appreciation Week,” I ask that we start honoring teachers as professionals. Enough with the toxic positivity, the mugs with cutesy messages in Comic Sans, and the condescending comments like, "Oh, wow. You are such a sweet human for doing this job.” Yes, teachers are important and it is one of the most noble professions out there. Professions!

And, because of these stereotypes about teachers, it is easier for dark money operations funded by people like Betsy DeVos and pretty much the entire Republican Party to demonize and undermine public school educators. One of the reasons they have been able to ban books and censor curricula in their attempt to whitewash history for political gain is because of how teachers are fundamentally viewed in America.

By the way: Here’s a longer Twitter thread I wrote this week about how DeVos has been moving millions in dark money to fund people and organizations to create hate and campaigns against teachers and teachers unions in order to fully dismantle the public education system.

So, let’s start flipping the script in how we view and portray teachers.

So, yes, thank a teacher and show them your appreciation this week. But let’s also begin changing the narrative and our collective stereotypes about teachers.

---

As always, thank you for subscribing and also reading my newsletter. Your support means a lot to me.

I do not charge for my content, but if you want to show me some “teacher appreciation,” here is my LinkTree!